homemade baby wipes ~ revisited

I found that my wipes were too soapy. Only 1 tablespoon of baby shampoo is needed. My original recipe for homemade baby wipes calls for 2 tablespoons. Also, 2 1/2 cups of water is need. I have been using wash cloths for wets only so I am even saving on my homemade wipes. I didn't have enough wash cloths set aside to last between each wash so I cut up an old towel. This helps me distinguish the butt cloths from my other wash cloths.

snip snip

I succeeded in trimming Makayla's hair last night! I checked a book out from the library titled Cutting Your Family's Hair. The steps are very basic and don't give much detail. I am going to purchase Haircutting for Dummies. It has so much information. Makayla has thick hair so I need to know the correct way to thin it with thinning scissors. I am going to wait until she is done with school in case I screw it up. I have trimmed Ruben's hair twice now since he was born...yes he has that much hair. I didn't think to take before pictures, but here are the afters.

where have the last 6 months gone?

follow-up...no time to lose

I went to my future sister-in-law's wedding shower this past weekend. It was very nice, but I think I under dressed a little. My family does things pretty casual, but it seems that hers likes to dress up a little. I saw her sister for the first time since high school (9 years ago). She looked great. It made me feel a little sloppy. I take care of myself a lot better than I did in high school, but I need to add a little more effort.
As a result, I am going to crack down on eating healthier. I don't eat much meat just because it's not to my liking. I eat too much bread and carbohydrates. I would like to find recipes that incorporate more veggies to eat for my lunches. Maybe I could find casseroles that include simple veggies. Please add to my comments your favorite recipes, web sites or books that would help me.
This is not the end. After worrying for a day, my mother-in-law reassured me that everyone has their own style. I should be who I am (which I am comfortable with for the most part except for the added weight), but use this as a motivation to keep up with my goals. She's right! My goal is to get close to my high school weight...has been for 5 years now. One phrase I remember is "You thought you were fat in high school, but looking back you weren't near as fat as you thought you were."

natural foods...for me?

I grew up on the shelve peanut butter with sugar and preservatives in it and I like it just fine. I bought a jar of Smucker's peanut butter because of the unspoken pressure of Lori (sister-by-law) and Helen (mother-by-law). Helen had bought Kroger's natural peanut butter before, but if I had to go on that I would have stuck with my old ways. Now that I've eaten 3/4 of the jar I think I can live with it. The crunchy version tastes a lot like peanuts so all I have to do is convince my mind that the sugar is not necessary.
While I was grocery shopping yesterday, I looked up flax seed that's mentioned to make healthier recipes. I couldn't find the wheat germ, but I found wheat gluten which is not suppose to be quite the same. I guess I will check out other stores for wheat germ.
I can't believe I am even looking for these foreign cooking items. I never would have thought I would go this far. Either frugal life secretly changes ones habits or Lori and Elizabeth have some kind of unspoken influence on me. I'm not converted yet, but this could be the beginning.

under estimating ourselves

As a stay-at-home-mom, I have days that I get lonely and feel useless, uninspired and non-efficient. I'm sure everyone else has been there also from time to time. Even though we are surrounded by our kids, we need adult conversation. Some nights Tim just wants to come home and unwind and doesn't say much or finds a project to do. Then I really feel alone. At these times Satan has us exactly where he wants us.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Many times we allow the devil to devour us. We may feel in despair because we feel like our lives are "stuck in a rut". A little over two years ago, God told me to trust him on selling our house and leaving the town we live in. We have been wondering nomads for the last two years...unsettled and waiting. Even though I know in my heart that God has us here for a reason, lately I have let the devil convince me that we are "losers". By that I mean, it feels like we can't get it together. But truly, I know that God has taught me many lessons and saved us from many turmoils during these last two years. The Israelites wonder in the desert for 40 years so I've got nothing on them. We do have victory over Satan in Jesus!

Then the seventy [disciples] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He [Jesus] said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20

I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Revelations 1:18

The above verse gives me comfort every time a hear it.

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren (Satan), who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
Revelations 12:10

Satan only has the power that God has allowed him to have. It is up to us to look to God when we enter into these stressful times and not let Satan take over. A good friend once told me that the devil hates it when we raise our hand to the heavens and praise God. Yes, the more we press into Jesus, Satan will come back and try to convince us that we are not worthy, we are alone, and I have even had instances where the devil will attach the people around me to make me life harder. He messes with my mind all the time. But we must press on and continue to praise God and thank him every day for the blessings that he has given us.

I am also guilty of not utilizing my time for prayer. I get so caught up in my daily tasks and forget that there are others in need. I don't forget about God during my day, but I really should make more time for him.

You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, And you will pay your vows. Job 22:27

“When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men), that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers. 2 Chronicles 6:28-31

Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:12-14

When we seek God he chooses to live in us. He makes our hearts and bodies his dwelling place or "house of sacrifice". So we must keep on and know that we are not alone in this spiritual battle, and remember stay in prayer with God every day so that the devil cannot wallow in victory over us!

getting organized

Today I am organizing Makayla and Ruben's room. I still haven't gotten around to picking it up from last weekend's family visit. I find some amazing things in that room that the little ones drag in from the kitchen. I finally found a floor plan that "fits" in the small room and allows some floor space. I want to make it so that I can change Ruben in his bed instead of ours. I'm tired of washing my king size bedding every time Ruben leaks or spits, and now I need to find new storage for my cloth diapers. I believe I'll clean out the toys while Makayla is away at school. In our old house, I had all her toys organized in Rubbermaid containers and stacked on shelves. Oh how I miss that! I can't seem to stay organized here. Hmmm.......

baking soda is a friend of mine

I have been reading about all the uses of baking soda. In fact my mom loaned me a book with over 500 uses for baking soda called Baking Soda by Vicki Lansky. I am amazed what this product can do. I have tried a few things with baking soda. I sprinkle it on wet cloth diapers to absorb the odor until I wash them. Friday I cleaned the bath room with baking soda and water. If you create a paste by adding a small amount of water it easily rubs off soap scum and doesn't leave a scratchy residue like Commet. In the past I have scrubbed and scrubbed the bath tub with harsh chemicals wondering how anyone ever gets that sparkling bath tub. Tim used to give me a hard time about using the harsh chemical cleaners, but all I knew to tell him was "I have to clean the bathroom." I still use my disinfecting wipes to clean the toilet. This product is a very cheap life saver, but I would not recommend using it to brush your teeth on a daily basis because it made my gums very sore.

prefold alterations

I had successfully sewn a diaper from Lori's pattern. They are great diapers, but it takes too long to make them. I need to start using cloth now so I can save $$$. I can't stand pinning cloth and I don't like the bulkiness so I decided to alter my prefolds. Today I completed my first dozen. Ruben has not had a big poop in them yet so they are still under testing stages.


I sewed on velcro and four layers of material (that I had on hand) in the middle to front for extra absorbency. I then folded in the the middle edges that fit around the inner leg and sewed them in place. This takes away the bulkiness and helps trap leaks.

mystery bag

Every Thursday Makayla has "mystery bag" at school. It's similar to show-and-tell with learning involved. Her classmates bring an item from around their house in a bag and give clues for the class to guess what's in their bag. Today Makayla chose a small Gideon's bible. At first I was hesitant, not knowing how the school will react to this. Later it came to me that if the school can teach our kids about the Theory of Evolution or require that they read Harry Potter books, then my daughter can tell her teacher and class about the book of Jesus. There goes my little evangelist!